Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader, Series from Maryland

CLEMSON, SC Clemson scored three runs in the second inning and held the lead with solid defense and pitching for a 7-2 win over Maryland on Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers improved to 23-1 overall and 3-0 in ACC play while Maryland moved to 17-9 overall and 0-6 in the conference.

Matt Henrie (6-0) earned the win for Clemson. The junior scattered seven hits over 5.0 innings, allowing two runs while striking out two. Thomas Boozer pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and Paul Harrelson closed out the ninth to secure the victory. Chris Clem dropped to 1-1 for Maryland.

Clemson got on the board first with three runs in the second inning. The Tigers loaded the bases and scored a run when second baseman David Slevin was hit by a pitch. Catcher Collin Mahoney followed with a base hit to left that scored two runs.

Maryland countered with a run in the top of the third when John McCurdy’s two-out single scored Daryl Whitmer. The Terrapins threatened in the top of the fourth as Jason Maxey singled and advanced to third when Mahoney’s pickoff attempt sailed over first baseman Michael Johnson’s head. Maryland’s Will Frazier then flied out to Jarrod Schmidt, but the rightfielder gunned down a tagging Maxey at the plate.

Slevin singled to lead off the fifth and Mahoney followed with a double down the left field line. Slevin scored on a wild pitch and Kyle Frank’s sacrifice fly plated Mahoney to give Clemson a 5-1 advantage.

Back-to-back singles by Maryland chased Henrie in the sixth inning. Kevin McDonald’s sacrifice moved the runners over and Anthony Buffone scored on a groundout. Relief pitcher Boozer got Frazier to fly out and end the inning.

Clemson answered in the bottom of the sixth with a run of its own. Johnson, who walked twice but failed to extend his 20-game hitting streak, reached on a base on balls, stole second and scored on Schmidt’s double to right center. The Tigers added an insurance in the eighth to make the final margin 7-2.

Clemson will host East Tennessee State on Tuesday night at 7:15 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

CLEMSON, SC The Clemson baseball team defeated Maryland 16-7 in the second game of a three-game series completed on Sunday. The Tigers scored 10 runs in the first inning and built a 16-7 lead Saturday afternoon before the game was called after the top of the eighth due to rain. Clemson improved its record to 22-1 (2-0 ACC) while dropping Maryland to 17-8 (0-5 ACC).

The Clemson offense got started early for the second straight game. Fourteen batters came to the plate to account for 10 runs and nine hits off Maryland starter Todd Ainesworth, who had allowed only seven earned runs all year heading into the game. The 10-run first inning was the highest scoring opening frame for Clemson since a 12-run first against Marshall on March 10, 1987.

L.J. DeMaino walked to lead off the inning and was followed by four straight singles. Jeff Baker’s hit to center plated two runs and Michael Johnson extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single to right field. The 20-game streak is the 10th longest in school history.

Khalil Greene scored on a fielder’s choice and Baker came home on a balk before Jeff Hourigan hit an RBI-single to give the Tigers a 5-0 advantage. The rally continued when DeMaino doubled to center to drive in two runs before the Tigers struck with back-to-back home runs.

Kyle Frank hit a two-run shot to right center and was followed by Greene’s ninth home run of the season. Baker singled again in the inning before Maryland changed pitchers. Reliever Josh Andrews struck out Michael Johnson to end the inning and stop the bleeding for the Terrapins.

Maryland scored runs in the second and third innings but Clemson answered with runs of its own. Russell Triplett singled in a run in the second and Jeff Baker hit his seventh home run of the year in the third.

After Terrapin runs in the fourth and fifth innings, Clemson hit back-to-back home runs again in the bottom of the fifth. Johnson went deep with his 12th home run of the year, this one a solo homer that just cleared the fence in center field, and Schmidt’s home run bounced off the fence in right center to give the Tigers a 14-6 advantage.

The Tigers added two more runs in the sixth and Maryland tacked on a run in the top of the seventh. Maryland loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with one out but the potential rally was squashed. Greene made a diving backhand stop of a one-hopper and turned it into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The game was then stopped at 3:18 PM due to rain and the decision was made an hour later to complete the game on Sunday. Clemson failed to score in the bottom of the eighth and Ryan Childs closed out the ninth to secure the victory.

Patrick Hogan (2-0) won his second game this season in a long relief situation. He pitched 4.0 innings, allowing two runs off four hits while striking out three batters. Ainesworth (4-2) got the loss for Maryland.

The two teams will begin the third game of the series at approximately 1:30 PM.